Two men on trial for grievous bodily harm claim they were the victims of a fight in a town centre club, a jury heard yesterday.

Chibwe Edwards and Muche Richardson are accused of stabbing Christopher Toray four times in the arm, chest and stomach and bottling Junior Lowe during a fracas in the now-closed Fez Club in the early hours of April 8, 2006.

Edwards, 30, and Richardson, 29, claim Mr Lowe started the fight.

Edwards told the jury at Reading Crown Court Mr Lowe bottled a tall man who was with his friend, and Richardson claimed it was him who suffered the first blow to the back of the head.

During police interviews, read out in court yesterday, Edwards said he was minding his own business when he saw Mr Lowe hit another man, but when he saw another man come over to join in the fight he decided to intervene.

He claimed he was breaking the fight apart and, on confirming that Richardson was his brother, he said he had not known his brother was in the Gun Street club that night until he saw him there, and that he [Richardson] had not been involved in the fight at all.

During his interview, read out by Lesley Bates, prosecuting, Edwards, of Wensley Road, Coley, said: “I ain’t got no qualms with Junior. I saw him, he said ‘alright’ and I said ‘alright’.

“I was just minding my own business stood at the bar, and I looked around and I saw Junior hit a guy that was stood with my mate.

“I couldn’t tell whether it was with a bottle or his forearm and I went over to stop the fight. I am not fighting no one. I don’t need to fight.

“I wasn’t fighting, I was breaking it up and then my cousin came over and he did not know what was going on so he went off on one.”

The jury also heard the interview given by Richardson, of London Road in the town centre, during which he denied being brothers with Edwards and said he knew his face but did not know him.

He said: “I was out for a girl’s birthday and we went to the Fez Club and I was hit over the back of the head.

“I asked who did it and they pointed him out and it was Junior. I asked him if he hit me and he sneakily went to get a knife out of his pocket so I punched him a few times.

“Then his brother came over [Christopher Toray] and there were punches swinging all over the place. There were just hands all over the place.

“I did not know anyone had been stabbed until someone called me the next day and then my mum called and told me the police wanted to speak to me.”

Both men deny a joint charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Edwards also denies one count of unlawful wounding.